Between 1,400 and 1,800 people had been reported killed in Iran as the United States and Israel continued an unrelenting bombing campaign that residents described as ceaseless day and night. The casualty figures underscored the devastating scale of a war now entering its third week since it began on February 28. Major cities including Isfahan suffered fresh strikes on Saturday, with at least 15 people killed in an Israeli airstrike on a factory producing refrigerators and heaters.
US warplanes continued their assault on Kharg Island, Iran’s primary crude oil export hub, following a massive Friday attack. President Trump said in public statements the island had been effectively demolished and suggested additional strikes were possible. He simultaneously ruled out negotiations with Iran, saying the terms were not yet acceptable. American planes also conducted multiple additional waves of strikes across Iranian territory throughout Saturday, with no indication that the bombing tempo would slow anytime soon.
Iran struck back fiercely, launching ballistic missiles at the UAE and firing rockets at Israel. The UAE’s Fujairah emirate sustained damage near its major oil port, with loading operations suspended and thick smoke visible on television footage. Iranian military officials warned civilians near ports and US installations to evacuate and threatened strikes on any regional facility with American ties. Iran’s foreign minister called on Arab countries to expel US forces, arguing the American military presence had been destabilising rather than stabilising.
President Trump called on a coalition of nations to send warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, naming China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK. The strait, which Iran had closed since the war began, carries about a fifth of world oil and gas supplies. Its continued closure was driving energy prices sharply higher, with analysts warning that oil could climb from $120 to $150 per barrel if Kharg Island’s export capacity were fully eliminated. Trump held open the threat of striking Iran’s oil infrastructure entirely if Tehran did not allow ships to pass freely.
Suffering spread beyond Iran’s borders. Thirteen Israelis had died in the conflict, and around 20 people had been killed across Gulf states. Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis continued to worsen, with over 800 killed and 850,000 displaced from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah. The US embassy in Baghdad was struck overnight, and all Americans in Iraq were ordered to leave. Six US troops died in a military aircraft crash in western Iraq. Analysts said Trump faced mounting pressure to end the conflict before its economic and human costs spiralled further out of control.
1,400 Dead in Iran as Relentless US-Israeli Bombing Campaign Grinds On
